In modern ICUs alone, it is estimated that tens of thousands of data points are generated every day for ventilators, IV pumps and other medical devices. This information must be transmitted from the device to the patient's electronic health record (EHR), and the quality of the connection that transmits this data is crucial. Although essential, these connections are often complex and can vary in reliability. The real challenge of healthcare technology is not the lack of data. There is a lack of reliable data in EHR.
These complex interfaces present challenges that require careful management. This solution requires a practical clinical leadership approach to ensure that the data clinician dependency is accurate and complete.
High cost of data gap
Although data standards such as HL7 and FHIR provide a common language, EHR vendors build their platforms on proprietary data architectures. The lack of standardization on a technical basis forces hospitals to manage a wide variety of connections, many of which are point-to-point interfaces.
result? Data gaps that may have a negative impact on clinical data integrity and patient care. For example, two different ventilator manufacturers may need custom interfaces, or some models may not even have the ability to integrate. Each unique connection is another potential point for data failure, and each connection represents an opportunity for improvement.
In the example above, some ventilators in the Level 3 NICU cannot be connected to require the nurse to leave the bedside and enter the data manually. While clinicians will always prioritize patients, this additional step increases the workload of nurses, keeps time away from direct patient observations and complicates the process of making timely clinical decisions in intensive care.
The challenge of the gap in medical equipment data exceeds the walls of hospitals. With the growth of family hospital programs, health systems must now integrate data from devices provided by patients such as weight scales, blood pressure cuffs and pulse oximeters. These consumer-grade technologies bring new connectivity disorders and other susceptibility to patient care.
A cross-functional approach to medical equipment integration
The right device integration is more than just a technical task. It requires coordination among multiple teams. The most successful health systems see integration as technological construction and clinical transformation. This approach ensures that the data is complete, available and actionable at the point of care.
In the beginning, the right team reduces risks, prevents delays, and provides solutions that meet clinical and operational needs. A powerful cross-functional team brings together people who understand devices and systems and how they impact care in real time. Here are five roles included in the Medical Device Integration Team.
- Clinical Leader Who aligns data flow with care delivery and ensures technical support instead of disrupting workflows.
- EHR and interface experts Who configures and maintains the technical connection between the equipment and the EHR, which helps ensure data accuracy and reliability.
- Biomedical and network teams Those who support physical infrastructure and device connectivity are critical to stability and uptime.
- Cybersecurity Expert Who protects patient data and reduces risks in device communication.
- Apply for analysts and educators Confirm the data to locate the data where the clinician needs it and how it needs it and use it effectively.
This structure works because clinical and technical experts work early before setting the schedule and supplier. It prevents expensive errors, establishes internal ownership, and prepares for future needs such as artificial intelligence (AI), remote monitoring and replacement of old devices.
Most importantly, this approach improves patient care. With reliable device data in EHR, clinicians make faster, more informed decisions and spend less time troubleshooting and spend more time with patients.
Common pitfalls in medical device integration projects
Careful planning is often overlooked in two key areas when health systems initiate medical device integration projects. The first one seems to be less relevant than the actual one – project team membership.
As noted in the role list above, a cross-functional team approach to clinical leadership is crucial in medical device integration projects to bridge data gaps, overcome common project pitfalls, complete optimal testing, and ensure proper supervision. In general, integrated projects can be improved by ensuring that project team members represent workflows for all potential impacts. For example, if there are no certain members of the clinical team, the project team may only perform surface testing. Meaning, they can confirm that the new connection is valid, but may not be able to verify whether it will negatively affect other systems or clinical workflows. Delayed clinical input can complicate this issue, and the final signature will be done by frontline personnel using the technology long after this core design decision.
Finally, organizations must establish integrated equipment management plans. This includes asking who is responsible for the interface and what steps should be taken during downtime. For critical equipment, who has performance and reliability in clinical and IT teams? What steps will the nurse take immediately if the device stops sending data or the downtime experienced by the EHR?
How to measure value
We must not only pass their technical specifications, but also evaluate standards such as criteria and FHIR by providing clinicians with accurate real-time data. Their effectiveness depends on network stability and infrastructure. For example, predictive sepsis models rely on consistent high-quality interface data to provide early alerts to improve outcomes.
Ultimately, the key question could be: What are the higher costs and/or introduce more risks – a new, fully integrated anesthesia machine, or ongoing operating costs and clinical burdens that support outdated data and have unreliable data?
Ultimately, the real value of system integration is demonstrated by its actual impact on care delivery: fewer document errors, faster clinical decision-making, and more time spent with patients.
Photo: Invincible_bulldog, Getty Images
RN, Kerry Barker of BSN is the manager of Cerecore Epic Services, a leading provider of healthcare IT services. In her role, she uses her deep clinical and technical expertise to manage EPIC EHR programs and services in healthcare organizations.
Kerry draws on her extensive background as a registered nurse, including in intensive and intensive care units (ICU/CCU), where Kerry brings valuable clinical perspectives to health. Her work focuses on ensuring expertise in clinical operational preparation, Go-live support, test coordination and data integration to ensure successful implementation and optimization of the Epic system. She is certified as an Epiccare hospitalization clinical document and an epic bridge, emphasizing her skill level. Prior to his health career, Kerry held a variety of nursing and educational roles, including teaching clinical skills at Brigham Young University and local community colleges.
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